Grateful
by colormeember
Summary: That was all I remember, then the world went dark.
1. In the Degrassi Hallway

"Clare, get away from me," I told the girl in the polka-dotted dress next to me.

He continued to push be backwards. "What's wrong emo boy? Out of smart-ass comments?" He barked as he stepped closer to me. "Fitz. Please, don't do this. I'm sorry. For everything." I glanced over at Clare, her normally flawless, serene face was filled with fear and her crystal blue eyes were swimming with tears as she just watched, helpless.

He looked at me with no mercy, his eyes were dark and he wore a stern expression. It was obvious that he was not going to change his motive. "You've had this coming for a while." his abnormally large hands pushed me backward until I backed into a wall. There was no where to escape. Maybe I did have this coming. I shouldn't have started this. What kind of dumb-ass wanted to attempt to scare a bully? Me. And now he was coming toward me, a knife glistening in the moonlight in his right hand. He smirked at me and then slowly brought up the knife.

Suddenly, I felt a tear drip down my cheek. My life had never been threatened before. No one dared to come near me, I was always intimidating to them, and now here was a boy that was determined to kill me. Sure, maybe the fake ID was a bad idea, and maybe I had gotten him arrested, but I never thought that it would come to this. I looked over a Clare once more, her piercing blue eyes were watering and a few tear drops escaped. She was trying not to cry, trying to be strong, for me. Her hands were over her stomach, and it looked as if she was trying to hold herself together. An expression of grief was now plastered over her gorgeous face. Even in a time like this, she was beautiful. My eyes brought me back to Fitz and lingered on the weapon in his hand. Back to the reality of it all. We stood in the corner for a few seconds, it looked as though Fitz was mentally deciding what to choose: spare me or kill me. A smirk appeared on his face. No. he lunged the knife forward, into my abdomen. Suddenly, my vision went blurry and the world around me began to spin. The floor gave out underneath me and I dropped. A searing pain welled in my head. Clare ran over and was screaming, "Eli! Ei! Stay with me! Don't go! Don't leave me!" I could hear her sobbing as she moved her body closer to me. I heard footsteps running down the hall.

"I won't leave you," I said weakly.

Then, the world went dark.


	2. Change

Then, I awoke. I was young again. Wait, what? My Mom, with her shoulder-length blonde hair and sparkling green eyes, just like mine, was there. But hadn't she left Dad and I when I was four?

And then I realized, I _was _four. I had my shaggy brown hair and baby fat. The leaves around me were changing from green to brilliant reds and oranges. It was as if I was trapped in a picture perfect memory, the colors swirling around me. Suddenly, it hit me. We were at Banning park, my parents use to take Lucy and Me here everyday. My mom was holding my hand and guiding me along the gravel path to the park. I looked up and realized that she had purple bags under her eyes and she seemed almost unstable. Then, a burly man holding a young girl with big green eyes and curly brown hair walked up the path behind Mom and I. It was Dad and Lucy. We were going to the park, just like old times. But, something didn't seem right. Mom and Dad weren't walking together. Out of any day, Why was I trapped here? This was the day when Mom told us she was leaving. She lead me to a park bench near the teeter totters and motioned for me to sit down. Then, Dad followed and handed Lucy to Mom.

"Elijah, Lucy. We have something to tell you," my Mom spoke.

"What Mommy?" Lucy asked as her brilliant green eyes sparkled with curiosity.

"Well, Daddy and I are separating. It's better for all of us. It's just not working out between us."

It was true, now memories flooded back. Them fighting at least once a week. Mom not coming home some nights and when she did come back in the middle of the night, they argued. I just pretended like I couldn't hear anything, but deep down inside, even though I was four, I was devastated. Weren't Moms and Dads suppose to love each other? Dad said Mom worked late, but now I knew. She was a heavy drinker and was always out at the bars, partying even on the weekdays, even though she had young babies to take care for. She was never a good mother, but for some reason I still loved her. And from the look in his eyes, my Dad did too. But of course I didn't know this when I was four, why did I know this now? Why was I fully aware of the situation? Yet, I couldn't do anything to stop it? And why _was_ I stuck in the body of mini-me?

"I'm moving to the States," she continued, "I want to know who you would like to live with: Daddy or me?"

'Mommy! Don't leave!"Lucy cried, she was only about two and a half. I had a great relationship with my Dad, we played catch and he promised to help me learn how to ride a bike. He taught me how to play baseball and we went out for ice cream every Tuesday night. Even though I knew what was happening, I acted like a typical four year old.

"I want to live with Daddy!" I said.

"Mommy! Mommy! I go with you!" Lucy yelled. I could see the devastation in my Dad's eyes.

"Ok Lucy. Let's go," my Mom picked her up and they walked back to the house. My dad and I just watched, why couldn't I change the outcome? Why was I here again? Why was I acting like a four year old, when I clearly had the knowledge of a seventeen year old? "Daddy, will they come back," I asked. _That_ was a dumb question. "I don't know Eli," he answered, I could hear pain in his voice. I looked up at him and realized he was softly sobbing, so I cried too. We stayed at the park for an hour or so. When we returned, every trace of Mom and Lucy was gone.


	3. Shrimp

All of the sudden, I was on the stupid, yellow bus on my way to fourth grade. I sat in the back, where the leather of the seat was fading and curse words shown on the seat in front of me. I wore a baseball cap, jeans, and a green baseball T-shirt. When I was younger, my Dad and I use to be big baseball fanatics. We caught every game on TV, and if I was lucky, he'd take me to a local game. I loved the feeling of excitement in the air, the smell of popcorn, and of course; watching the game. Once my Dad caught a foul ball and gave it to me. I swear I was the happiest kid alive that day. The bus driver stopped at a curb. Then, I noticed that terrible colored yellow house, with its shabby front door, muddy flower bed, and drooping willow tree in the front yard. How could I ever forget a house that looke das horrendous as that? We were at Bobby's stop. But, why was I here? Why was I stuck in all these memories? I didn't want to face Bobby again. It was as if I was stuck in a nightmare and couldn't get out. What the hell was going on? All I want is to be with Clare, it's that freaking simple! I'm not asking that much! Then, Bobby boarded the bus. He saw me and a smirk crossed his face.

"What's up, shrimp?" He yelled jokingly yelled as he glanced at me. I just glared at him. This son-of-a-bitch wasn't going to mess with me. I knew everything that was going to happen, why couldn't I stop it? I hated not being in control. He walked down the aisle, past the tiny fourth and fifth graders and right to the seat behind me. He always sat near me, for once I wished someone else would want to sit next to me besides him. I was always socially awkward, even as a fourth grader.

"What to tired to talk? Were you up too late watching baseball with your Daddy? Breaking news! Here in Canada, we watch hockey." He chuckled. I just ignored him and looked out the open window, at all the blooming flowers and the array of color. Dad _did_ say not to talk to him.

"What's the matter baby? Too scared too talk?" He would just not shut up.

"No, I only talk to people I like." What a great come-back!

"Ohh, burn!" He chuckled to himself. He opened his mout, and more words came spilling out.

"I hope you don't like that hat too much."

"W-why?"I asked, baffled.

"Because _I _want it." Before I could protest, he plucked the baseball cap off my head and placed it on top of his shaggy blonde hair.

"Hey! Give it back!" I yelled at him.

"You know what? It's not my color." And with that, he took the cap out and threw it out the window.

"Hey, what the heck? That was _my_ hat!"

"Aww, is the wittle baby gonna cry?"

"No, I'm not a baby, if anyone is, it's you!" This ignoring thing really wasn't working for me. Plus, this was fun.

"At least I don't spend every minute with my daddy!" H taunted. I gelt rage enter my body. Was he that low as too make fun of my Dad?

"And your Mom probably left cause she felt left out since you two are together every waking moment!" Did he _really _just say that? I reached over the seat and slapped him. He looked at me, a stunned expression crossed his face. I bet he didn't see that coming! Before I knew it, he had my head in his hands and was squeezing me with all his might.

"Never do that again." I nodded and he let go. I took a gulp of air and sighed. How could no one realize what just happened? Did no one care? Why was I stuck in my old memories? I had the knowledge, but I still acted like a nine year old. What was going on?

"You better watch out, shrimp."


	4. Toronto

**Review guys! You're gonna like the next chapter. Intense! Oh and by the way, I like commas and Italics. **

Now, I was sitting at the brown, mahogany kitchen table, attempting to do my homework and waiting for my Dad to come home. Except that I wasn't able to concentrate, so I was staring at the peach colored wall in front of me. OK, this change of scenery every three seconds really had to stop. I was in eight grade now, about 13. My wardrobe now consisted of darker clothing. I guess I realized that bright colored clothes were obnoxious by now. I wore jeans and a black T-shirt, but my hair was still brown and shaggy. The wall just fascinated me for some reason. It was probably an excuse not to do homework, but whatever. Here I was again. Another scenario. But why? What was so great about this day? It was making sense now, I was going through all the important events that happened in my life. But was I dead? Was I on my way to Heaven? Or was I just dreaming? Maybe I never was stabbed. Was I sleeping? I could think like a seventeen year old, but I was stuck in a thirteen year old's body. Why was this day significant? It was as if I was trapped in some sort of puzzle that was impossible to piece together. I heard a key jingle and unlock the front door. Then, the front door creaked open.

"Hey, Eli," I heard my Dad call as he walked down the hallway. "How was school?" He asked, now he was standing in the doorway.

"Well, it was…school. We learned stuff." I guess I aquired my sarcasm by this age. He chuckled and put down his briefcase. He was grinning from ear to ear.

"Why are you so happy? Did ya win the lottery or something?" I asked, baffled. Sure, he was happy when he came home to see me, but he seemed ecstatic today. His eyes lit up.

"Well today I was promoted.." he stopped short.

"That's great, Dad. Are we gonna live in a mansion now?"

He let out a laugh, "No son, well the job is in Toronto." Toronto? That meant we were moving? But I lived in this house all my life. We couldn't just leave! I was finally making friends at my school, Plus, it was the middle of the school year.

"W-When?" I found myself asking.

"As soon as you finish eight grade. Toronto has two great high schools, Brandywood and Degrassi. I'll let you choose were you want to go." Huh, I guess a change of scenery would be nice and I could finally get away from Bobby. I vowed to myself that I would never let anyone bully me again. But we lived here with Mom and Lucy, this house had sentimental value, right?

"Ok Dad, I'll go, but that doesn't mean I'll like it." I could see the happiness on my dad's face. "But there's one more thing, I'll be working a lot more. It's a big job."

"Yeah, sure Dad, whatever." Then it hit me, once we moved to Toronto, my dad stopped spending time with me. He was always working and our relationship disintegrated. But, I obviously didn't know that now. All I seemed to care about was a new house and how I could decorate my room.

"Do I get a big room? Could I fit my skate ramp into it?" I was still young and naïve. My dad just laughed and started down the hallway, and up the stairs. I guess that was that. But for some reason, I didn't object to this memory. There was nothing I wanted to change. I did eventually like living in Toronto, even though my dad would pretty much ignore my existence. Little did I know then, my realtionship with him would become weak in a year and he would no longer be the most important person in my life.


	5. My fault

Next, I found myself perched on a lawn chair, my elbows on a glass table. There were perfectly shaped bushes surrounding me, a white picket fence, and a beautiful girl sitting across from me. Julia. Julia? But she was _dead._ What? She had large, sparkling brown eyes and her long, wavy brown hair framed her face perfectly. The way the light from the setting sun reflected on her face made it look as if her flawless skin was glowing. She smiled her pearly white teeth at me and concentrated on the plate in front of her. We were eating pizza. I was sixteen now and looked almost exactly the same. We were enjoying a gourmet pizza on my back deck, brought to us by the pizza man.

Oh my crap. Out of any day, I did _not_ want to relive this day. No. And the worst part was that I couldn't change anything that was about to happen. _Why? Why Julia? _She was an innocent girl. She didn't deserve what was going to happen.

"How's your salty pizza?"I asked to the girl on the other end of the table. For some odd reason, Julia loved salt on her pizza. She was the only person I knew that did. "It's actually very delicious! You should really try it sometime!" She chirped. That was another thing I liked about her, her positivity.

"Nah, I'll stick with my pepperoni for now."

"Ick! Pepperoni! I don't know how you can eat that!" She with that, I pulled a piece of pepperoni off my pizza and flicked it at her.

"You did not just…-" I cut her off, "I believe I just did." She grabbed the salt shaker, gave me a smirk, and poured the salt out of the shaker and into my hair. Why was I acting like this? She was going to _die _ in a few hours and all I could do was giggle like an idiot? I couldn't even stop her! I kept with my charade and pulled a slice of pizza out of the box and threw it across the table at her. It missed miserably and plopped to the ground. "You're lucky that missed!" She yelled at me, a smile on her face. Then, she pulled a slice of pizza out of the box, poured salt on it, and chucked it at me. With her perfect aim, it landed right on top of my head.

"Geez, Jules! You loaded this thing with salt," I joked as I pulled the salty slice off my head.

"Watch out, Jules!" I yelled as I pushe my chair backward and ran towards her. She immediately realized that she was about to be pummeled and ran. We ran around the perimeter of the yard screaming and laughing. Julia wasn't the most athletic girl, so after a few minutes she stopped and put her arms up.

"I surrender!" She called. Sweat dripped down her face. "You're pathetic Jules." I lifted her up and carried her to the hammock. Now, it as dusk and the stars show brightly in the sky. We lay in silence on the hammock for a few moments. "You know, those stars don't even compare to how beautiful your eyes are?" I whispered to Julia.

"Oh stop, Eli!" was her answer. A few more silent moments passed, but they weren't awkward. Not in the least bit. I knew what was going to happen this whole night. So I knew exactly what was going to happen next. "Julia, I'm not kidding, you're the most beautiful person I know. You have something about you that always makes me smile.. I love you." I looked over at her, her eyes were sparkling and she looked at me in awe. "I love you too, Elijah. But I need to tell you something.I want to be honest with you."

"Sure, Jule, you can me anything." She hesitated. I knew how I was going to act next, I wanted to change my words, but it was impossible. I was stuck in a remote controlled robot. And I didn't have the controller.

"Remember a couple of moths ago? When I told you I couldn't go to that local-concert thing because I had a Civics paper to right?"

"Yeah, what of it?" She looked at me, her gorgeous brown eyes brimming with tears.

"I was writing the paper. I had Michael come over to help me with it, since he was in my class and my parents were out of town and I guess we took things a little too far.."

"What's that suppose to mean?"I could hear the confusion in my voice.

"Well, I-I slept with him. I'm so sorry,Elijah! I shouldn't have done it. I should have told you earlier! I can understand if you hate me."

"W-What?" The girl I thought I loved had cheated on me?But, I thought she was better than that! _Don't do it. Don't yell at her. Don't send her home, _I said to myself. But I was not in control. Didn't she know how I felt about her? I wanted more than anything to change the words I spoke next, but I didn't have the remote.

"You cheated on me? With that scum bag, Michael? What the hell Julia? I thought we had something special! I thought I _loved_ you! Did you really ever feel the same way about me?"I yelled as the words poured out of my mouth. _No, ._ But, I couldn't do anything.

"I'm sorry!" She was crying now, "I really do love you! Can't you forgive me?"

"No," I said. I could feel the tears stinging in my eyes. "If you loved me, you wouldn't have cheated on me. Why would you do this to me?" I realized I was screaming at her. _Stop._ She looked up at me, her delicate face was filled with pain, "I'm so sorry, Elijah! I never meant to…" she pleaded.

"You don't even know how I felt about you, you were so special to me! Damn it, I thought I freaking loved you.I don't know _if_ I can forgive you." I screamed.

"Eli, I never meant to."

"Then why did you?"I asked coldly.

"I do love you, Elijah!" We were standing up now.

"Leave." I said flatly, tears dripping down my cheeks. _No, No, No! I wanted to tell her I didn't mean any of that._

"Ok," she said, now sobbing.

She walked through the house and marched right out the front door._ I should of forgave her. I should have atleast offered her a ride home. What a dumb-ass._ She looked slowly down the steps and looked at me, standing in the window, with her gleaming eyes. I just glared. She kicked up the kickstand on her bike and buckled her helmet. She was off. That was the last time I'd ever see her again. _NO! I wanted to run after her, plead her forgiveness. Tell her to sop. SOMETHING. But it wasn't that simple._

12:05AM. I was laying face down on my bed, sobbing. Why had I just done that to Julia? If I loved her, I would have forgave her. This was all my fault! Then, the phone rang. _No. Not the phone call_. Little did I know then, that this would be the worst phone call of my life. Who would call this late? _. _

"Hello?" I answered, my voice weak.

"Yes, Elijah, this is ," said the woman on the other end, her voice was filled with tears.

"Hi?"I answered.

"Julia is in the hospital," she paused and tried to recollect herself, "She said she wants to see you."

"W-What? What happened?" I asked, in a daze. This was all a dream.

"She was riding her bike and got hit by a car."I was speechless, a few awkward seconds passed.

"Elijah?"

"Yeah, I'll be there as soon as I can?" I hung up, grabbed my black hoodie, and ran out to Morty.

It's really hard to drive a car when you vision is blurred from tears. Why was I stuck here again? I already went through this once, why again? I pulled up to the hospital and parked in a handicap spot. Who cared? I needed to see Julia. My feet moved as fast as they could and I flung open the hospital door.

"Julia Hastings?" I managed to ask the lady at the front desk.

"Third floor, intensive care unit, Room 302." I ran to the elevator, not even bothering to thank the receptionist. The elevator let me off at the third floor and I walked up and down until I found room : 302. I took a deep breath and opened the door. Then, I saw her. face was marred with a gashes and she had bruises all over her body. An IV was stuck in her arm and she was hooked up to a series of machines.

"Julia?" I ran over to the bed, crying even harder. To see an innocent girl in this state was devastating. As if on cue, everyone else shuffled out of the room.

'I'm sorry, Julia! I forgive you! I was such a jerk!" Rivers now flowed out of my eyes.

"Eli, I love you," She smiled meekly at me. _ I can't loose her again_. "I love you, too." I whispered to her. We said no more. I examined her fragile body, now broken. Her eyes were bloodshot and there was a deep gash that seemed to be just stitched on her forehead. I leaned down to kiss her frail lips and put her hand in mine. A few minutes later, a series of beeps and alarms went off. The doctors and nurses bursted into the room.

"Code blue. Code BLUE," I heard one of them cry. "her lungs are filling up with fluid, her hear beat's unstable!" They escorted me out of the room and I looked at Julia, for one last time.

At 3AM, the doctor announced to me and Julia's parents in the waiting room that she was gone.


	6. Blue Jacket

Ok, now I found myself sitting in Morty's black leather seat, gripping the steering wheel tight. _Oh! I remember this!_ The speakers were blasting Dead Hand obnoxiously loud which drew attention, but I didn't care that people stopped and stared at me. Have they really never seen a guy driving a hearse? Ok, so maybe they hadn't, but whatever. Honestly, I couldn't give a shit about what other people thought about me. I am me. That was all that mattered.

I was exiting the Degrassi parking lot, driving past the stupid yellow school busses and sloppily parked cars. Ha, must be new drivers. I laughed to myself. Ever since Julia's death, I couldn't step a foot into Brandywood. It was just too painful. Everything there brought back a memory of Julia and that _I _had killed her. So, over the break I had begged my Dad to let me transfer to another high school. And so I did. Now, I was in another hell hole called Degrassi. Over the first week, there was already a rumor swirling around about some girl getting a boob job and the school President's girlfriend was pregnant. Not that I actually cared about petty drama. What a lovely school. And all the girls had fake tans, preppy pony tails, and skimpy clothes. Great, just what I wanted to see all day. Unoriginal sluts that were glued to boys like magnets. This was going to be a fun year. Really, that totally was NOT sarcasm. Maybe it was. All I wanted to do was get out of here. Now.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw two girls walked towards the never-ending line of busses. One had darker skin and long, shining black hair. She looked just like, well a typical high school girl. But the other one.. She was unusual. As she cam closer, my stomach fluttered. Jeans hugged her curves and she wore a floral blouse, covered with a blue jean jacket. Her auburn hair was cut into a short bob that framed her face perfectly. And her bangs hung in front of her face, but were placed perfectly to show her eyes. To me, it looked like she wanted to prove that she was different than all the other girls. She wanted to show her individuality. And her personality shined right through. They were fighting over something, which then landed in the path of Morty. _Crunch._

The girl gasped and stepped back. I halted Morty and pushed open my door. My obnoxious music flooded out and filled the air. Under Morty's tire was a pair of pink-framed glasses. _Great._ I had just run over her glasses. Smooth, Eli. I picked them up and handed them to her. She grabbed them with her delicate hand I looked up at her face, it was so..beautiful. Her complexion was gorgeous, it looked as though she was glowing in the afternoon sun. All she needed was a halo to put on top of her pretty curls. My eyes landed on hers, but she awkwardly looked away. Her eyes shocked me with their beauty. They were two oceans of glistening blue, just swirling with curiosity. I'd never seen any two objects that were so.. I didn't even have the right world to fill my thought. Play it cool, Eli.

"I think they're dead," I told the beautiful girl in the jean jacket.

"I-I don't need them," her angelic voice broke the thin air, " I got…laser surgery." Her eyes lingered on my face, then abruptly darted for something else to look at. I must have intimidated this amazing girl in front of me.

"You have pretty eyes," I told her. I spoke the truth, only the truth. "I'll see you around?" She asked, awkwardly. I made her feel uncomfortable. Suddenly, I was glad I transferred to Degrassi. I'd get two whole years of learning who this girl really was. That's what I wanted to know. Her fears, her best memories, her opinions. I wanted to get to know this girl.

"I guess you will," I stated. I stared at her piercing blue eyes. They were just, amazing. Swiftly, I turned back to Morty, breaking the awkwardness between us. I revved the engine and was off. It was then I realized I had totally forgot about her friend. Too bad. I couldn't wait for the rest of this year. I looked back, and she was clumsily walking away. I liked this new school.


	7. Remembering

Blue jeans' face appeared in front of me. Her blue eyes were shining with tears. But hadn't she just walked giggling with her friend? And why was she crying? More objects appeared in my vision, they seemed to be becoming more realistic. 'Get Well' balloons, a nightstand, three chairs, monitors, terribly gray walls and flooring, and a beautiful were now in sight. The lines on the monitors began to form a steady line. A nurse rushed out of the room.

"Eli!" Clare cried as I opened my eyes, in a daze of confusion. Tears dabbed her perfectly flawless cheeks.

"Clare, W-Where am I?" I asked weakly, staring at the beauty in front of me.

"You're in the hospital.. You've been in a coma for five days. You had a terrible wound.. When you fell, you fit your head extremely hard against the wall," She explained with tears in her voice. What on Earth was she talking about?

"When I fell?" I asked, baffled. When had I fallen?

"You don't remember?"

I looked at her with a lost, questioning look in my dazzling green eyes.

She hesitated and her face changed from relief to pain, as if she didn't want to remember. It seemed like she had been trying to omit whatever this memory was from her mind.

"Well, remember your little rivalry with Fitz?" She questioned me.

"Yeah, that jerk. Thinks he can get away with every freaking thing." Of course I remembered him.

"and all of your petty fights and the fake ID mishap?" She continued her interrogation.

"Yeah, my idea was brilliant. If I may say so myself." A smirk spread across my lips. Putting the name of a convicted arsonist on Fitz's fake ID as a truce was brilliant. In my opinion, but apparently not Clare's.

"Eli," she sighed, obviously used to my self-satisfaction, "You were so naïve! That didn't help anything between you two. It was a stupid idea and you should certainly not be proud." She looked at me, concerned, "Do you remember Vegas night?" Huh, that was a good question. I remembererd Clare agreeing to go to Fitz to 'protect' me from him. Like he would severely injure me on school property… he probably didn't have the balls. The stupid Boiling Room incident with Alli, Drew, and Bianca popped into my head next. All those stupid gambling games returned to my memory-I didn't remember actually winning anything. Everything up to putting Epicac into Fitz's drink while we were agreeing to yet another truce was clear. Then, my memory got fuzzy. What was I missing?

"The most I can remember is making Fitz puke," I smiled, remembering the pleasure that gave me. She looked at me, stunned. "How can you smile about that? After that, I went for YOU to Fitz, yet again He had a knife in his locker! I ran around and finally found you! You wouldn't run, you said you weren't scared of him." She frowned and the tears returned to her eyes, "Then…Fitz came down the hallway. We were the only ones. He had the knife. You pushed me away and he cornered you against the wall. You pleaded for him not to, then he-he," The tears came spilling down her cheeks, "He stabbed you Eli! The police came and arrested him. They carried you away in an said you might die." She was bawling now.

"Hey, I'm here now." I said, attempting to comfort her. It hurt me to think that if I died, she would be in denile. That my foolishness caused her this much pain.

"But you're alive! That's all that matters! I don't think I'd know what to do without you." She explained, her face was now tear-stricken. But no makeup ran down her face, my Clare was beautiful without makeup.

"I didn't know that if I acted like that, that it would have that affect on you. I'm so sorry I put you through this!"

"Listen," I continued, "When I was in that coma, I went through all the important events in my life. I'm not sure why, but I was transported back to those memories. You were in one of those. I think that one was my favorite. That means something, right? Clare, I would never leave you. I like you too much." I looked up at her and she was smiling, her cheeks were damp.

"Come here," I whispered, "I have a secret to tell you." She leaned in close to my face. I turned abruptly and kissed her as passionately as my weak lips allowed me. I pulled away and she looked at me, a wide smile spread across her face and her cheeks a rosy pink. "Clare, I'll never leave you. Promise."


End file.
